The F2A was the first monoplane carrier fighter of the USN, designed in response to a requirement issued in 1935.

The Brewster F2A, the U.S. Navy's first monoplane shipboard fighter, saw brief combat service during the first half-year of the Pacific War. Built in 1936-38, Brewster's XF2A-1 prototype bested the Grumman XF4F-2 in a competition to replace the Grumman F3F biplane fighter. A production contract for F2A-1 production aircraft followed in June 1938. Production difficulties, a continuing problem throughout the life of the Brewster company, delayed service
introduction until late 1939, when F2A-1s began to join USS Saratoga's Fighting Squadron Three (VF-3).